Out of My Mind

1. Out of My Mind Written by Sharon M. Draper Report by Aurora Asay

2. Summary Melody Brooks is an 10 and ¾ year old girl with an extraordinary ability to remember every single little thing she hears and sees, which makes her a very smart and informed person. But there’s a catch: she also has cerebral palsy, a disability that makes her unable to walk, talk, or even stay balanced. She’s spent her whole life shut up in her own mind, with intelligence that could surpass a 9th grader’s knowledge. Everyone that meets her thinks she retarded and barely has the brains of a two year old. But everything changes when her neighbor helps her get her voice, a computer that speaks for Melody. She gets moved up to a 5th grade class, and out of Special Ed. She makes new friends. Her life seems to be going somewhere, but there’s still an adventure up ahead. Read the book to find out what happens!!

3. Text Evidence A thing that shows Melody’s extraordinary memory is on pages 15-17. Melody is shopping with her mom and she sees a toy for young children that was made with lead paint, which Melody learned was dangerous from a commercial about them. But she couldn’t properly warn her mother, so she only could point and scream. Her mom tried to shush her, but Melody wouldn’t stop shrieking until her mother took her home. Her mother was very angry with her, and Melody was discouraged because her mother hadn’t gotten her warning. Evidence about Melody’s frustration with not being able to talk is on pages 18-26. Melody’s mother takes Melody to a doctor when she is 5 years old. The doctor, named Dr. Hugely, gives her easy tests that Melody knows immediately, but she still cannot respond. She tries her best to communicate, but fails. When Dr. Hugely finishes the tests, he tells her mother that Melody is, officially, retarded. Melody's mother is sad at first, but then she explodes on the doctor. Melody knows that her mother is only hoping when she says that Melody is smart, but Melody so much wants to tell her that she is.

4. Thoughts and Recommendations • I liked this book because it was funny, realistic, moving, and made you think about how lucky you are to not have to suffer from disabilities and learn what its like to have them. It’s a great book. • I recommend this book to anyone who likes emotional books, or if they like to read about realistic things. It’s a book for everybody, both genders, and most ages. So read this book!